ed to Mr. Bird?" broke in Sam.

"Perhaps. Did you find anything else?"

"Ve titn't look," came from Hans, who stood in the doorway. "So dot
vos a picture of Harold Pird, alretty! Dot vos kveer!"

"It is astonishing," said Dick. "Sam, see if you can find anything else."

Sam went back and Hans with him, and while they were gone Dick,
through the speaking tube, acquainted Tom with the discovery made.

"Maybe Mr. Bird was on this steam yacht," called up Tom.

Sam and Hans went over the stuff in the lockers with care. They found
some cards bearing the name of James Morrison and a short note about
a meeting of a yacht club addressed to Barton Knox.

"Those men must have been on the _Mermaid_," said Sam. "Perhaps they
were part owners. Frequently several men or a whole club own a yacht
like this in common."

"Vell, she ton't vos a common poat," was Hans' comment. "She vos a
peauty."

Sam was on the point of giving up the search when he saw something
sticking from a crack next to the wall. He pulled the object forth
and saw it was the photograph of a big, heavy-set man with rather a
handsome face. He turned it over and gave a short gasp, for on the
back was written in pencil:

Sharwell Lee Bird, Murderer.

"What a horrible thing to write!" murmured the youngest Rover. "It
makes a fellow shiver to read it!"

"Of he killed dot man ven he vos hunting he vos sure a murderer, Sam."

"Not exactly, Hans; he didn't mean to shoot the fellow. It was
accidental."

"Yah, put der mans vos teat, ain't it!"

"Yes, and the death of the poor fellow drove Mr. Bird insane. I must
show this to Dick, and to Tom, too."

Sam took the second picture, and all on board the steam yacht discussed
the discovery for some time. But they could reach no conclusion saving
that Mr. Bird had likely been on the vessel at one time and had left
his coat and the two pictures behind him.

"Perhaps he was on this vessel after he disappeared from Kingston,"
said Tom. "If so, the question is, Where did he go after that?"

"We must tell Harold of this, the first chance we get," said Sam.

"Providing he is alive," answered Dick. "Remember, we are not at all
sure that the _Mascotte_ outlived that crash in the fog."

The middle of the afternoon found the _Mermaid_ steaming on her course
at a good rate of speed. Tom had now become fairly familiar with the
engine and he allowed the steam to run up some pounds higher than
before. Hans fell to tending t